DecemberDecember, 20082008

December, 2008

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ee--Mentorship Program gets Funding!Mentorship Program gets Funding!The Ontario Oncology APN e-Mentorship Program Project Team is excited to announce that the program has received full operational funding for the next five years from the de Souza Institute. The Mentorship Program looks forward to working closely with Mary Jane Esplen, the new director of the de Souza Institute. This funding will permit further enhancement of the existing program focused on advanced practice nurses and expansion to provide mentorship for generalist and specialized oncology nurses across Ontario.

The de Souza Institute received five-year funding from the Ontario government in May 2008, to meet the increasing demand for nurses with oncology expertise. The magnitude and extent of this funding for specialized nursing education is unprecedented in Canada and represents the Ontario government’s significant commitment to oncology nursing.

In partnership with nursing leaders at Princess Margaret Hospital-University Health Network, Cancer Care Ontario, the University of Toronto and McMaster University, the de Souza Institute will provide oncology nurses across Ontario with the latest education in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care through specialized on-site, online and clinical education. The Institute will be the provincial hub for promoting excellence in oncology nursing in Ontario and beyond.

Mary Jane Esplen RN, PhD

de Souza Institute

Congratulations from Vanessa Congratulations from Vanessa BurkoskiBurkoskiOn behalf of the Nursing Secretariat of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care I would like to commend the project team members and co-chairs of the Ontario Oncology APN e-Mentorship Program for developing and maintaining a program that provides advanced practice nurses with access to mentorship across the country. The evaluation of this program has demonstrated the importance of mentoring novice and experienced advanced practice nurses in the various domains of practice. Funding from the de Souza Institute for the Ontario Oncology APNe-Mentorship Program will help the program maintain its provincial scope and provide a framework for mentorship of specialty oncology nurses nationally. I look forward to many exciting developments with this program in the future!

Vanessa BurkoskiChief Nursing OfficerOntario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

The de Souza Institute is developing a website which will provide resources, such as e-learning and other initiatives. We hope that the website will be launched early in 2009…stay tuned. www.deSouzaNurse.ca

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Exciting opportunities will become a reality for the e-Mentorship Program now that long-term five-year funding has been secured through the de Souza Institute!

Next Steps for the e-Mentorship Program

The Screening and Match-Making team of the Ontario Oncology APN e-Mentorship Program is excited to announce the launch of our new electronic mentee and mentor matching database. We invite mentees and mentors both NEW and OLD to take 20 minutes to complete the online application form! By filling out the survey, your information will be uploaded into the electronic database which will facilitate the team in quickly identifying relevant matches!

First steps will include the hiring of a full time program coordinator who will continue to manage and further develop the e-Mentorship Program for advanced oncology and palliative care nurses in Ontario. In the new year we will be providing more information about upcoming APN e-Mentorship program activities.

Our new funding will also permit expansion of the program to offer mentorship for all oncology nurses across Ontario. Over the next six months, the new program coordinator will establish a provincial committee and will work closely with the de Souza Institute to assess the mentorship needs and priorities and to identify the best strategies for program delivery for oncology nurses across the province. This needs assessment will provide the basis for developing a mentorship program that is relevant and accessible to nurses working in a variety of roles and practice settings who care for patients and families affected by cancer across the cancer continuum.

The Mentorship Program and the Project Team will be working closely with Mary Jane Esplen, the director of the de Souza Institute to ensure oncology nurses have seamless access to services provided by both initiatives. Future plans include a centralized website and shared electronic infrastructure for on-line resources.

Try out our new easy electronic application process!

Mentor Application Form Link:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ngVFgNcRniV6evzeglceEw_3d_3d

Mentee Application Form Link:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=bnSBEG_2bHns8GHOhLTA_2fSUg_3d_3d

If you have any questions, please contact the Program Coordinator at:apnment@mcmaster.ca or (905) 525-9140 ext. 21172.

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Canadian Task Force Update

In the next few months the Canadian Task Force will be working closely with CPAC to determine the future direction for a national program. CPAC will fund a feasibility study to assess national interest, potential partnerships and goals for national program expansion to other nursing and health provider roles. Between January and March 2009 key informants including cancer care administrators, professional associations and health care providers will be contacted to participate in this study.

If you are interested in participating in this feasibility study please contact the Mentorship Program Coordinator at apnment@mcmaster.ca.

APN e-Mentorship Program

The Canadian Task Force (formerly called the National Steering Committee) for the APN e-Mentorship Program has been meeting regularly to discuss the future national scope of the mentorship program. Within the past few months we have welcomed new members to the Canadian Task Force including Christine Da Prat, the Program Director for the Human Resources Action Group for the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) and AndreanneSaucier, Associate Director of Nursing for Oncology, Palliative Care and Respiratory Services at the Centre universitaire de santé McGill (McGill University Health Centre).

Update on Project TeamUpdate on Project TeamDr. Denise Bryant-Lukosius and Grace Bradish, co-chairs of the Ontario Oncology APN e-Mentorship Program would like to extend their thanks to all members of the project team for all their hard work and dedication to the program for the 2007-2008 year.

Project team members for the 2008-2009 year include:Lisa Bitonti, RN BScN MScN(C) CON(C), Ottawa Hospital Regional Cancer Centre

Grace Bradish, RN MScN CON(C), London Health Sciences Centre

Denise Bryant-Lukosius, RN PhD CON(C), McMaster University and Juravinski Cancer Program

Carolyn Dempsey, RN MScN, McMaster University and George Brown College

Mary Jane Esplen, RN PhD, de Souza Institute

Esther Green, RN MSc(T), Cancer Care Ontario

Pam Hubley, RN MSc, Hospital for Sick ChildrenColleen Johnson, RN MN, Trillium Health CareMaurene McQuestion, RN MScN CON(C), University Health Network

Melissa Simoes, BSc, McMaster University

Jocelyn Volpe, RN MN, Hospital for Sick ChildrenJennifer Wiernikowski, RN MN, Juravinski Cancer ProgramDavid Wiljer, PhD, University Health Network

Please do not hesitate to contact or approach members of the project team or the Program Coordinator at apnment@mcmaster.ca if you have any questions or concerns about the Ontario Oncology APN e-Mentorship Program.

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Submitted by: Grace BradishUpdate on CANOUpdate on CANO

This stipend enabled me to travel to Ottawa. During this mentorship experience I was able to witness clinical excellence and receive wonderful personal support in my own professional development. Gail was unable to attend CANO this year; however, her sister Carol who is also an oncology nurse accepted the award on her behalf.

The Canadian Association for Nurses in Oncology (CANO) offers an annual national conference where nurses across Canada gather to share new ideas, innovative roles and celebrate the specialty of oncology nursing. The CANO conference for 2008 was held in St John’s, Newfoundland from September 14-17th. The weather was perfect and all present enjoyed the wonderful east coast hospitality!

At the conference, five representatives from the e-Mentorship Project Team provided an interactive workshop to a small but enthusiastic group of participants to learn first hand about the benefits of mentorship. The workshop

With the successful securing of funding for the provincial mentoring program for the next 5 years there will be many exciting new developments in the program. Please stay tuned in the new year for updates to the provincial APN mentorship program including an upcoming workshop with distance mentoring stipends and funding for mentors and mentees!

Each year at the CANO conference, awards of excellence are determined by a peer nomination process. The awards recognize the outstanding contributions of members to oncology nursing in the areas of practice, education, leadership and research. I wasdelighted when my mentor, Gail Macartney, received the CANO/Bayer Award for Excellence in Hematology Oncology Nursing. I have been most fortunate to spend clinical time with Gail as a result of a stipend the Oncology APN e-Mentorship Program provides to mentors and mentees in a distance relationship.

provided individuals with an opportunity to experience practical strategies for developing successful mentoring relationships using the e-Mentorship workbook activities. Workshop participants came from across the country with a variety of nursing roles in an oncology setting. The Mentorship Program also had an opportunity to interact with conference participants at our exhibit booth. The Mentorship Program received lots of interest from conference participants and actively recruited new mentors and mentees. This interest demonstrates the potential need for a national expansion of the program to all oncology nurses. This work is in progress… stay tuned.

CANO/Bayer Award for Excellence in HematologyOncology Nursing

Submitted by: Lynne Penton